SOUTH ASIAN PULSE HEADLINES AUGUST 25TH 2016

Canada Post workers might go on strike. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is expected to give a 72-hour strike notice as their deadline expires at midnight today. The strike news has worried people again.

Quebec’s transport minister Laurent Lessard has requested federal transport minister Marc Garneau to ciminalise use of cell phones or texting while driving as distracted driving is posing major issues on road. A study in USA also indicates those involved in texting are 23 times more likely to meet accidents. Under law distracted driving causing bodily harm is considered an offence and the one involved in it can get a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Windsor residents and businesses have reported a tornado that hit the city on Wednesday at 7pm that damaged roofs of some homes. Environment Canada is investigating.

In Brampton, three men looted a gas station located at Williams Parkway and Dixie. They took money from the attendant and ran away.

In central Italy death toll has risen to 241. The country suffered from 570 aftershocks and an earthquake of 5.1 magnitude after it faced the devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake. As rescuers continued efforts to find survivors, a 10-year-old girl was rescued from rabble after 17 hours that is being appreciated in international media. Meanwhile, Canadian Italians are collecting donations for sending to Italy.

More offices of the MQM party have been sealed by police in Karachi city after its chief Altaf Hussain made anti-Pakistan remarks. The party’s headquarters, Nine Zero were locked and Altaf Hussain’s posters were removed.

In Pakistan MQM leader Amir Khan has distanced the party from the statements allegedly made by party chief Altaf Hussain while addressing workers in the US. This has come a day after party leadership in Karachi distanced itself from Hussain’s earlier anti-Pakistan comments that were condemned. Altaf Hussain had allegedly urged US party workers to seek help from Israel, India, Iran and Afghanistan. But MQM’s Pakistan leadership striped Altaf Hussain of organizational powers and announced party affairs will be run from Karachi.

Pakistan has asked Afghanistan to stop India from using its soil against Islamabad and shown concern on New Delhi’s resolve to provide arms to Kabul. Afghanistan has replied that India has provided over $2 billion in economic assistance to it in 10 years and to fight against terrorism it requires modern weapons that India is providing because USA is not.

According to details Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most followed person on social media. Twitter has informed earlier the most followed person was Amitabh Bachchan but now it is Modi. Linkedin has also informed in the second year running under CEO search Modi is being searched.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh while in Srinagar made a passionate speech saying peace is the Modi government’s goal. He was addressing a press conference where he reveal that he has met with 300 people and talked to heads of all political parties to bring lasting peace in the valley. But when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was asked to justify the Kashmir killings during recent viloence, she angrily walked out of the press conference. Mehbooba got angry when a journalist asked her about the alleged use of force against civilian protesters and compared her with her predecessor Omar Abdullah, under whose rule in 2010 unrest 120 civilians were killed. She replied by saying: “Don’t mix or compare the two situations. You are making a bad analysis of what you are saying. In 2010, there was a fake encounter. Three civilians were killed. That means there was a reason for people to be angry. Today, there was an encounter in which three militants were killed. How is the government to be blamed for that.”

In the Scorpene submarine leak case, the Indian Navy in a statement has expressing concern over this incident and has requested the French government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side”. According to details over 22,000 pages of information were reportedly leaked from DCNS, the French company that designed Scorpene submarines being built in India.

Actress-turned-politician Ramya against whom a sedition case has been filed, in an interview has said she will not apologise for her comments that going to Pakistan is not going to hell. She said once there she received a lot of love and under no pressure will she take her comments back. She said if given the chance she will again go back to Pakistan and work for closer ties of the two countries. She also said she does not require any anti-India certificate from anyone.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his cabinet ministers to reveal their property. According to details, Modi is the poorest of all and only has a IRs1 crore flat in Ahmadabad and has IRs90 lakh cash.

Questions are still circulating in media if Navjot Singh Sidhu will join AAP or not? Talking to media Navjot Kaur Sindhu has said outside her husband is outside India. Once he returns, within a week he will clarify whether he is joining AAP or not.

An Auditor General’s report shows that AAP government spent taxpayers’ money to promote itself. AAP has defended by saying the party has not done anything wrong.

After a video clip of AAP Punjab unit convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur allegedly showed that he accepted cash, the party has decided to remove Chhotepur from its cadre. AAP’s legal cell in-charge and candidate from Mohali Himmat Singh Shergill might be elected as the new state convener. It has been learnt that even AAP leaders Sukhpal Khaira and Bhagwant Mann have also asked for an investigation. Replying to these allegations Chhotepur has said two AAP members brought that man to meet him and they wish to give him a bad name, otherwise why were they making the video? He has urged the party to inquire the case. Meanwhile, media is asking if Chhotepur will join Congress? Amid this controversy Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh has allegedly said that AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is trying to get rid of Chhotepur. He said Chhotepur is an honest man and proud son of Punjab’s soil. He also alleged most of the people in AAP are from UP, Delhi, and Haryana and so Chhotepur is being sidelined.

In an interview, shuttler PV Sindhu has shown the desire to become world No 1. She said in 2012, she was among the top 25. Today she is among top 10 but with hard work would climb the ladder.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has announced it is retiring from ODIs and T20s.

Pakistan will play its first day-night Test match against West Indies in October.